Contemporary Music Program
A Dedicated Home for Contemporary Music
Explore options in jazz, pop/rock, electronic music and recording arts, songwriting and composition, and world music.
Launched in Fall 2025, MacPhail’s Contemporary Music Program brings together decades of offerings into one program that expands opportunities for students of all ages. Through ensembles and individual lessons with world-class faculty and skill-based classes in areas like songwriting, composition, and production, students can learn, create, and share the music they love.
Stay tuned! New ensembles and classes will continue to roll out throughout the year.
EMRA
Learn jazz, pop, hip-hop, electronic production, and more in our Electronic Music and Recording Arts (EMRA) program. Our world-class instructors have deep professional experience and integrate traditional styles with cutting-edge approaches, helping you expand your creativity and achieve your unique musical goals.
Whether you’re just starting out or refining advanced skills, MacPhail equips you with the tools to create and produce your own music. We offer in-person and online one-to-one instruction and design a customized curriculum based on your unique aspirations.
For electronic music producers, we work with any platform and, in our state-of-the-art on-site studio, gives your the expertise and resources to realize your artistic ambitions.
Jazz
MacPhail Center for Music is proud to offer students exploration of the great Black American art-form, jazz. MacPhail’s jazz faculty provides a comprehensive, explorative jazz curriculum that spans the great traditions of the past to the innovative developments of the present. The program gives students different opportunities and enhances the presence and quality of jazz performance in the MacPhail community.
Composition & Songwriting
Interested in beginning, developing, or mastering your songwriting skills or compositional techniques? Instruction specifically designed for acoustic instruments or electronic platforms.
Whether you have written many songs and have professional aspirations or have no idea where to begin, MacPhail has a teaching artist or class that gives you the instruction, feedback, tools, and opportunities you need to realize your potential.
Individual Lessons
A hallmark of MacPhail is providing exceptional music lessons to students of all ages, levels, and backgrounds. More than a dozen MacPhail faculty specialize in contemporary styles. Financial assistance and scholarships are important to rewarding aspiring students and making lessons financially feasible.
Course Offerings 13 courses shown
Questions?
Contact Michael Cain at [email protected]